Kevin Jackson’s curly hair and bright smile light up the room. The 30 year-old principal dancer has just finished up daily company class with the Australian Ballet in Melbourne before sitting down in front of the computer screen. He chats about Graeme Murphy’s "Swan Lake", dream roles and the use online media in today’s ballet world.

Kevin Jackson. Photo by James Braund.

Wiebke Schuster, Neon Tommy: You’re an Australia native. What makes Aussie dancers unique?

Kevin Jackson: I think for the men, it’s the legacy of good partnering. The tradition has been passed down to be really sensitive, caring partners — really strong and well connected with the female counter part. Australia is such a big country with wide-open spaces and I think that translates into movement. We dance big! Watching my colleagues, I also see that it’s about creativity and artistic freedom — we try to give the audience as much of a story as we can.

NT: What do enjoy most about dancing for The Australian Ballet?

KJ: I’ve been here for twelve years now and I joined the company straight out of the Australian Ballet School. I am from Perth, which is on the other side of the continent. Making that trip over to the opposite side of the country at age 15 to join the Australian Ballet School certainly felt like opening up this whole new world. In my mind, I always felt like I made it: coming over here, living in Melbourne, taking that massive leaps. I love dancing here because I enjoy my colleagues, we have a wonderful artistic staff that has guided us through our careers. David McAllister is a very compassionate, communicative artistic director. You can knock on his door whenever you feel like it and he’s very responsive to that makes it a very nice place to work. We get to perform all around Australia and see the world. If paths had taken a different turn, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to visit Asia and America and Europe. I feel extremely blessed to be surrounded by the people that I am.

NT: You recently performed as a guest at the American Ballet Theatre in their production of "Manon"?

KJ: When I was approached by David [McAllister], saying that ABT was looking for someone to partner Xiomara Reyes and that he’d chosen me to go over there for three weeks and dance 2 shows of Manon at the Metropolitan Opera House...I was like: WHAT?!? It was mind-blowing. Just being a resident of NYC for three weeks what a career highlight.

NT: The Los Angeles audience is going to see a different version of "Swan Lake" this season with the West Coast premiere of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake. What stands out about this production of the classic fairytale?

KJ: The Australian Ballet’s version brings "Swan Lake" into a modern era and transforms this fairy tale into a modern tale. It touches on the Royal Family’s story: A prince marries Odette more out of loyalty to the crown and his duty rather than his love for her. At that point, he is also very much infatuated with a Baroness. Odette goes crazy with jealousy so the Baroness commits her to a psychiatric ward and at that point, Odette starts envisioning swans. That’s where Graeme Murphy brings in the traditional version: the second act is very much the white act where Odette envisions her perfect prince. By the third act, she’s taking revenge, which then of course leads to a tragic ending. I don’t want to give it away but let’s just say: it doesn’t end well for anyone.

Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake. Photo by Lisa Tomasetti

KJ: I was a student when this version premiered in 2002 in Melbourne. I said right at the very top in the back of the house, we got free tickets through the school. It was like watching miniature dancers on stage but it just reached me more than any other ballet I’d ever seen. I remember everyone walking out of the theatre in silence. What had we just witnessed? The story was just so original, intense, passionate and real. I was with a whole group of friends and after the performance, we just sat on my balcony for hours in disbelief… It is very special to all of us. It is distinctly different than the traditional version, or Matthew Bourne’s modern interpretation for example. I joined the company the year after this premiere and it has been in the repertoire every year since then. I’ve danced nearly every role in this production: from a servant, to a Hungarian dancer up to a guest at the wedding and one of the brothers. When David told me Graeme Murphy wanted me to learn the role of Prince Siegfried in 2010 for the Perth tour, I was thrilled to be able to go back there after so many years and show people what I had achieved and the growth that I had over the years.

NT: What are the technical challenges for your role?

KJ: I will tell you now: it is pas de deux after pas de deux after pas de trois after pas de deux… the whole ballet! It is harder than any other ballet I’ve ever done. Graeme Murphy’s choreography is known for its intricate, dazzling partnering sequences with such seamless transitions in between. That’s definitely the biggest challenges for the role: to have the strength to make it looks effortless. For Odette, it has all the essences of the original "Swan Lake" – the fouttés and the character progression from classical princess to crazy black swan. The choreography for the role of the Baroness choreography isn’t what you would call ‘pretty’ choreography – the movement is quite angular and harsh. For her, the challenge is to exude that sensuality, being the desirable woman, clasping the prince in her grasp and not letting him go. The second act for the corps, the swans, is just as difficult. The way Graeme has adapted the famous cygnets and the big swans is taking it to a new level. I think the whole company finds it a refreshing challenge.

Kevin Jackson in Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake. Photo by Lisa Tomasetti.

KJ: I am a huge fan of (Kenneth) MacMillan and (John) Cranko. I feel very drawn to their choreography and their style, the characters of their ballets. I’ve had a little taste when dancing "Onegin" and "Manon". It just made me yearn for more! I’d love to dance in Cranko’s "Romeo and Juliet" and also in MacMillan’s "Mayerling".

NT: The Australian Ballet just participated in World Ballet Day (24-hour YouTube live stream of five ballet companies from around the world: The Royal Ballet, The Bolshoi, San Francisco Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada all participated. Re-Watch a 4 hour segment from the Royal Ballet London) and is sort of at the forefront of using social media and blogging to reach audiences around the world.

KJ: It’s incredibly important especially for us here in Australia because we’re so isolated! It costs so much to tour internationally… Putting that content out online gives people a little taste of what we’re doing which is important to stay relevant. Within Australia, we try our hardest with our Dancer’s Company and our education programs to reach people in remote areas. Personally, as a dancer, having that one-on-one connection with the audience is great. It gives people the feeling they come to watch someone they know perform. People contact me on Instagram, asking me to sign a program for them. That personal interaction is really important for the development of our art form I believe. 

NT: What advice do you have for young dancers?

KJ: Look, honestly: Just completely envelop yourself in dance. Witness, take part in every possible thing you can. Go to art galleries, gobble up as much as you can. I think an educated dancer is the most interesting because you have the ability to dive into roles and converse with choreographers, to bounce ideas off of one another. It is much interesting than being a cut out – a body that says: “I am here. What do you want me to do”. We’ve grown from that. At the end of the day, it is about what you have experienced that makes you the best dancer you can be. Don’t close yourself off, take it all in, take part and don’t be afraid.

Graeme Murphy’s "Swan Lake" danced by The Australian Ballet will be at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion October 9-12, 2014. Tickets are $36-$152. For more information visit TheMusicCenter.org.

Reach Contributorr Wiebke Schuster here or follow her on Twitter here. 

Read more about dance by Wiebke on The Ballet Bag.